Game apparatus



L n R .M a M was APPARATUS Filed Nov. 17, 1958 5 Shgts-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

mum R Rmw m w Q .m@ G 5 F June 18, 1940.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 36 INVENTOR.

MY/PO/V C. MORE/L L ATTORNEY.

June 18, 1940. M. c. MORRILL GAME APPARATUS Filed Nov. 17, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 N VENTOR. MY/PO/V 6. MORE/LL ATTORNEY.

M. c. MORRILL 2,205,217

GAME APPARATUS Filed Nov. 17, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Mmo/v C. MOkR/L 1.

BY (I I I I a ATTORNEY.

@ 1, 1940. M. c. MORRILL GAME APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 17, 1938 INVENTOR. Mme/v C. MORIQ/L z.

W ad- I w ATTORNEY.

Patented June 18, 194% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The invention relates to game apparatus, more especially to a form of bowling apparatus wherein balls are rolled along an alley or platform to strike pins swingably suspended above the same.

6 It has for an object to provide a compact and more or less portable unit comprising an alley portion wherein the pins are swingably mounted, novel means for retaining in elevated position a struck pin, and an inclined floor terminating in 10 an opening above a pit at the back for spent balls,

together with means for automatically delivering therefrom played balls.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for temporarily retaining a struck pin in W raised position, and to cause thereby an electrical circuit to be closed for afiording a visual indication of the fact that the pin has been struck.

, A still further object is to provide means whereby the swinging motion or oscillation of a pin.

20 when released, is rapidly damped.

The invention has for another object the provision of means whereby all of the retained pins may simultaneously be released by electrical means operated from a remote point.

.35 Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of means for reducing the impact of a spent ball and for preventing its return to the playing portion of the apparatus.

The invention has for other objects the provitti sion of means for returning a spent ball automatlcally to the playing location, and to aiiord a vis-= ual indication of its having been played.

In carrying out the invention, provision is made for a box-like structure having parallel sides and an open at the front, with a bottom inclined upwardly from the front to the rear of the structure. There is provided at the rear thereof an opening from the top of the floor into a compartment or pit located behind the structure and into which is 40 received a spent ball after delivery over the floor in the playing of the game. Between the sides of the structure are located transverse rows of pins which are swingably suspended upon transverse rods supported in the said sides. These pins are 4,5 provided with engaging means located in the plane of swing of a pin and designed to be caught in suitable holding members when a pin is struck by a ball and elevated sufficiently thereby.

.. The holding members in turn are supported 50 upon further transversely located rods behind the various rows of pins and which are likewise supported in the sides of the structure. The arrangement is such, moreover, that the holding member-supporting rods may be rocked in their 55 supporting walls and, preferably simultaneously,

to release thereby any retained pins. In addition, the bars, or the pins, may carry conducting means for establishing contact to complete an electrical circuit for control of a visual indicator.

The compartment at the rear of the structure contains an inclined delivery trough or channel which is located below the inner end of the floor for a spent ball or balls which are received by the trough for delivery into a further and return trough. This latter trough contains an endless running belt adapted to contact the surface of a ball and impart suficient momentum thereto to return it to the position of play, a ball in its return actuating means for affording a visual indication of its play. Provision is made, furthermore, for restoring the struck pins to a playing position, and to accomplish this electrically from a point remote from the apparatus.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric projection of the novel game apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough taken on the line 2-2, Fig. l of the drawings, and shows also one of the pins retained in elevated position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the apparatus, taken on the line Sii, Fig. 2 of the drawings, and. looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the game apparatus.

vFig. 5 is a side elevation of the game apparatus with a side wall portion removed.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating a pin retained in elevated position, the position shown in dotted lines being the normal position.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary isometric projection and on an enlarged scale illustrating the retaining means and the circuit-closing means associated therewith.

Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively fragmentary side and front elevations illustrating a modification in the pin-retaining means.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the game apparatus with a side wall portion removed, and illustrates a modification in the operation of the pin-restoring means.

Fig. 11 is a wiring diagram illustrating the electrical connections involved in affording visual indication of a particular pin struck by a ball, as well as of the number of balls played.

' Referring to the drawings, Ill designates a boxlike structure which is open at the top and comprises the sides and i2 and the bottom [3 with back or apron H. The bottom I3 is, as shown, inclined upwardly toward the back wall l4 and terminates thereat in a transverse opening [5 provided between the bottom and the depending apron or back wall l4.

Between the sides II and [2 are designed to be suspended according to any prearranged plan and in parallel rows, pins I6; and this may conveniently be accomplished by means of rods I'I fixed in the opposite sides II and I2 and passing through the heads of the respective pins so that the latter may swing thereon when struck by a ball. It will be understood, of course, that a pin may be rigid with its rod which then will be rotatably mounted in the'sides of the structure.

Each pin is provided with engaging means, hereinafter described, and extending in the plane of swing of a pin for engagement with means carried by bars which are located respectively behind the rods l1 and also supported parallel thereto in the corresponding sides H and I2. The bars 20 are mounted to rock in the said sides II and I2 for release of a retained pin; and to this end extend through one side, the extending ends having attached thereto arms 21 all of which are pivotally connected to a reciprocable bar 22. A spring 23 attached at its opposite ends respectively to the bar 22 and to the structure l0 serves to urge the bar 22 in a direction to return all of the bars 20 to their normal positions for retaining the pins when elevated.

Various expedients may be resorted to for rocking the bars 20 to release the retained pins. Thus, as indicated in Fig. 5, a solenoid 25 has its plunger 26 connected to bar 22 as shown; and, upon energization of the solenoid, plunger 26 will be drawn inwardly and will move the bar 22 longitudinally in opposition to spring 23 to correspondingly rock the various pin-retaining bars 20 to separate the members engaged upon elevation of a pin when struck by a ball. Or, as indicated in Fig. 10, movement may be imparted to bar 22 mechanically for setting the bars in holding position, as upon energization of a motor 21 utilized, as hereinafter set forth, for returning spent balls to the play location. For example, an endless belt 28 driven by said motor contacts the periphery of a roll 29 connected by a link 30 to the said bar 22, the direction of travel of the belt being such that the said bar will be carried inwardly to move the arms to the position shown in dotted lines or in a direction to rock the bars for release of the pins. An idler roller 3| carried by roll 29 eventually also engages the belt so that the said bar will not be carried further. When the motor is shut down, belt 28 ceases its motion and the roll 29 will be rotated in the reverse direction and bar 22 will be drawn outwardly under the action of the spring 23 to return the various members to the positions indicated in full lines, thereby restoring the various bars to the position for retainin rin Energization of the solenoid in the operation of the former embodiment and of the motor in the case of the latter embodiment may be accomplished from a point remote from the boxlike structure It, for example from the play location, and as will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

The motor 21 and belt 28 driven thereby are utilized in the return of spent balls rolled over the bottom l3. Thus, there is provided at the rear of the structure l0 behind the transverse opening I! a compartment or pit (Figs. 2 and 3) to receive spent balls rolled over the bottom i3, said compartment providing an inclined trough 36 below the level of the inner end of the bottom i3 and directed toward a ball-delivering trough 3'! located along one side of the structure and. communicating with the lower end of said trough 36. In this trough 31 runs one stretch of the belt 28, longitudinally of the trough and in a direction away from the rear of the structure. The said stretch of the belt 28 is designed to contact the periphery of a ball as the same enters trough 31 from the trough 36 and imparts thus to the ball motion for delivering the latter from trough 31 and with suiilcient momentum to return a ball substantially to the location of play.

To retain a pin struck by a ball in its elevated position, there is provided on each of the pins l6 engagement means which extend in the plane of swing of a pin, this means being adapted respectively to contact with corresponding retaining means on the bars 20. Thus. reference being had to Figs. 2, 6 and '7 of the drawings, there is provided on each pin to extend from the bottom thereof in the plane of swing of the pin a tooth element 40 which, when a pin is elevated, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings, will wipe past a pair of resilient hook means or fingers 4| each having an inturned lip 42 and rest upon said lips until released by oscillation of the bars 20, as hereinbefore set forth.

Or, as indicated in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, a pin may bear at its upper portion a rotatable toothed or ratchet member 45 rotatable in the plane of swing of the pin. The ratchet mem- 3 her 45 is engaged by a spring holding pawl 46 also secured to a pin above the said ratchet and whereby the ratchet is prevented from rotating backwardly, that is to say, inwardly of the pin. The teeth of the ratchet 45 are, furthermore, adapted to engage with a retaining element as the angle piece 41 of the transverse bar 48 mounted similarly to the bar 20 of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 2, 6, and 7. The engagement is indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, in the full-line position, from which it may be released as hereinbefore set forth. Moreover, by this expedient, oscillation of a pin upon release is quickly checked; and a pin maybe held more effectively and even if not fully elevated. In the case of the simpler form of retention of a pin, such oscillation may be damped conveniently by means of transverse rods 50 supported in the sides of the structure l0 and positioned between the bars 20 and the pin-supporting rods I 1 above the latter rods and in proximity to the head of a pin, as indicated in the drawings.

Provision is made, also, for affording visual indication of the position of a pin as well as of the number of balls played. For example, the structure l0 may carry at the rear 9. display board having a plurality of panels over its face upon which are depicted individual pins as the representations 56 thereof and constituted by translucent material such as frosted or etched glass. There is located behind each of the pin representations 56 an electric lamp 51; and similar panels are provided having depicted thereon representations 5B of the number of balls to be played for a frame, namely three, together with an additional representation so that an indication maybe had as to whether more than the proper number of balls had been played. These representations are similarly lighted by electric lamps I8.

In the case of the former lamps 51, the same are connected to brushes 60 and in the case of the latter lamps 59, to respective brushes 6|. All of the lamps are connected by a lead 62 to one terminal of the secondary of a transformer 63, the other terminals preferably being grounded as at 64; and provision is made for grounding as at 65 the various lamps 51 and 59. This may be effected, in the case of a lamp 51, by a pin itself, for example in the embodiment having the terminal engagement means 40, through contact of the metal tooth to with a brush 66 when a pin is elevated and retained by the holding means 4 1, brush 60 being so positioned as to then contact the tooth ill to ground the said brush through the hook members II and bar 20 carrying the same. of course, the respective brushes 60 are to be insulated from bar 20 on which they are carried. In the embodiment involving the ratchet form of engagement means the holding pawl 46 is connected to the source of power supply by lead 60, and the pin grounds, when elevated, with the angle bar 41, it being understood that the pin is of metal and insulated by a bushing 66 from its supporting rod 61.

To afford an indication of a played ball, the corresponding lamps 59 are energized through engagement of a contactor 10 with the various brushes 6|, contactor Ill being moved successively along the different brushes as the balls are played. To operate contactor 10 to bring it into the contacting positions, the said contactor may be mounted upon a rotatable support ll advanced by a ratchet 12 and spring-drawn pawl 13 engaging the teeth of the ratchet. This pawl in turn is actuated by means of a finger 16 which projects into the trough 31 and the path of an outgoing ball delivered therefrom. The said finger is pivoted to the casing and pivotally connected at 15 with the pawl I3, imparting to the latter a longitudinal movement each time a ball passes through the trough suflicient to advance the ratchet the requisite distance.

A holding pawl 16 retains the ratchet and contactor in the advanced position until, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5, the solenoid 25 is energized to release the pin after a frame has been played. This is accomplished by means of a rod 'II attached 'to bar 22 oscillated by the solenoid, said rod being connected to the pawl 16 to disengage the same from the ratchet which returns under the action of a coil spring 18 until the ratchet engages a stop 19 determining its normal position. With the release mechanism illustrated in Fig. 10 of the drawings, similar contact-making mechanism may be utilized.

Operation of the solenoid 25 may be controlled from a remote point as the location of play by the closing of an electrical circuit 19 upon operation of a switch so. For energizing the motor 21, the circuit 8| thereto may be closed also at the remote location by operating a switch 82. It will be understood, of course, that in the case of the release means illustrated in Fig. 10, it is necessary to control only the motor circuit.

In connection with the return of a spent ball, it will be appreciated that it is necessary to insure that a ball passing through opening l5 will not again return to bottom l3 over which it has been played, but that it will immediately v.enter tion toward the opening l5. A resilient bumper means 85 may be provided to cushion the backstop when struck by a ball. I have found that in the provison of this back-stop the proper delivery of a played ball is insured and no difiiculty is experienced by the return of a ball over the bottom I3.

I claim:

1. In game aparatus of the nature set forth: a plurality of rows of horizontally disposed rods supported between the sides of a box-like structure, pins swingably mounted thereon and bearing a ratchet element rotatable in the plane of swing of the pin and a resilient holding pawl engaging the ratchet to restrict its direction of rotation, elements located behind the respective rods parallel thereto and supported in the sides of said structure affording holding means in alignment with the ratchet elements of the corresponding pins for engagement therewith when a pin is elevated upon being struck by a ball, and means to release an engaged pin therefrom.

2. In game apparatus of the nature set forth: a plurality of rows of horizontally disposed rods supported between the sides of a box-like structure, pins swingably mounted thereon and bearing a ratchet element rotatable in the plane of swing of the pin and a resilient holding pawl engaging the ratchet to restrict its direction of rotation, elements located behind the respective rods parallel thereto and supported in the sides of said structure and comprising an angle piece aligned with the ratchet elements of corresponding pins for engagement with the teeth thereof when a pin is elevated upon being struck by a ball, and means to rock the bars to release an engaged pin therefrom.

3. In game apparatus of the natureset forth: a plurality of parallel horizontally disposed rods supported between the sides of a box-like structure, pins swingably mounted thereon and bearing a ratchet element, retaining means for engagement with the ratchet element of a pin to retain the latter substantially in the particular position to which it has been elevated upon being struck by a ball, and means to release positively an engaged pin.

MYRDN C. MORRILL. 

